We enter into the suffering of our Lord Jesus this week, walking with Him,
accompanying Him in joy at the Last Supper and in sorrow in the betrayal
and condemnation to death. We walk with Him as people committed to
following Him, but weak just as were His first followers. Today the
instructions for the liturgy tell the homilist to keep it short!

As we contemplate our Lord in his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, we
recognize the sort of mob hysteria that can be generated about any star,
but which is rarely of any depth. It should not surprise us that these
same people do not come to the help of the Lord. We should also recognize
that we ourselves often proclaim our love for the Lord and His ways, but we
are not always faithful.

The readings from Isaiah and the Letter to the Philippians instruct us on
the faithfulness and love that God has for us in Christ Jesus. This is a
faithfulness and love which invite our response of faithfulness and love.
We can always remember the words: even if we are not faithful, He remains
faithful. In this liturgy we can ask pardon for our faithfulness even as
we ask to be more faithful and rejoice in His faithfulness.

As we listen to the account of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Saint Matthew, we can allow ourselves to be involved in this
most terrible event which is also the most wonderful event of our
salvation. We can place ourselves in our hearts alongside the Lord and
walk with him through this whole event in order to understand it more but
also and more importantly to let our souls be touched deeply by this love
of the Lord Jesus for us. Christ dies for us, Christ dies for me and
Christ dies for all. That is where we end today, in silence and prayer.